Biogeography and Ecology of Irish Groundwater Fauna

EPA Research Programme - STRIVE Report 95

Groundwater is a very important resource for securing Ireland’s water supply. In some counties it even represents the main water source for human consumption. Groundwater environments not only store water, but also function as ecosystems. The purpose of this Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-funded research project was therefore to provide baseline data on the biogeography of Irish crustacean groundwater fauna and its ecology. With the exception of an earlier pilot investigation, this research represents the first systematic and detailed attempt at an island-wide survey and thus is a significant step towards filling the knowledge gap identified by the European Groundwater Directive (2006/118/EC) with regard to groundwater ecology.